BillsVet

Sullivan gets ripped for doing his job: commentary and opinion. He's right on one front: hope is not good enough entering a regular season. Substance is all that counts, and starting rookies on the OL, banking on a new OC, and thinking DJ will suddenly turn into a good coach and those are gigantic ifs.

Drinking lots of metamucil. They are gone: Tripplett, Royal, Fowler, P. Price, Bowen, K. Thomas, A. Thomas, Nall, Reyes, A. Davis (2006) and Dockery, Walker, Whittle, Webster. 14 for 14 in two years.

If RW is running the show a la C. Montgomery Burns, is Russ Brandon his Waylon Smithers?

The man has turned teams around before and after the salary cap was instituted. I can't think of one other GM in the NFL who was successful in both periods. BTW, Aundray Bruce, Jeff George, David Carr, Courtney Brown, Tim Couch, Kenneth Sims, and Tom Cousineau say hello.

For the record, the "addition by subtraction" mantra was preached quite heavily around these parts when Fairchild exited stage left of Colorado State and TS came on as OC. I think AVP will be different, and he'll not let his ego get in the way. I'm hopeful, but none of us know what to expect. It may be something that this offense doesn't start clicking until later in the season, especially considering the youth and lack of talent on the OL.

Talk about development. How many QB's in their first 3 NFL seasons can handle 3 OC's? I know they've all run similar offenses, but that's a bit much to ask. Edwards still has to show a lot this season with the weapons he's got. This franchise has made a habit out of setting people up to fail. RW set up Levy and Brandon to fail. DJ set up TE to fail when he hired an also-ran QB coach to be OC. And now AVP is being told to put together a game plan for the offense with 10 days against one of the best team this decade. Just once I'd like to see the team set people up to succeed.

Well, in thinking it over perhaps DJ could have been responsible, with a push from RW. I'm sure during the off-season, particularly after the TO signing, that it was made clear they needed to win. It's a classic case of being backed into a corner and fighting back with all you've got. Perhaps DJ saw the light. As for the team, there's so much uncertainty. I'm glad TS is gone, but I fear it's too little too late. We'll be able to tell a lot by about 10PM on 9/14.

KnightRider answered the question with one minor exception: Teams in which owners run the show do not win. Does anyone ever hear of the Rooney family talking to their coach? Or how about the Mara/Tisch families? Perhaps Bob Kraft, Jim Irsay, et al. The trend here is that owners with a hands-on approach rarely get results. Jones' Cowboys haven't won a playoff game in 13 years. Mike Brown has 1 playoff berth in 18 seasons. Al Davis is, well, Al Davis. And Ralph isn't much better than those three.

Just a thought, but why in the heck is RW meddling in meeting the new co-offensive coordinators? Did the Mara's/Tisch's meet Kevin Gilbride or Arthur Blank need to discuss X's and O's with Mike Mularkey? Bob Kraft isn't asking Bill Belichick who's calling the plays this year after McDaniels left. I cannot understand for the life of me what RW is going to add to hiring another coordinator. Is he simply saying get it done or else? Because that should have been made clear last October when he re-signed DJ to a contract extension. RW may have been an owner for 50 years, but it doesn't mean he know the intricacies of the game.

I can definitely agree that it was DJ's idea to fire Schonert. If of course you ignore DJ's entire tenure in Buffalo and RW's 50 year ownership of the Bills. DJ's loyalty and RW's meddling cannot be ignored here. Although I will say the guy had to go, he never should have been hired in the first place.

No wonder the salary cap went up this past year. 09 Cap Increase The owners have to be kicking themselves for signing Tagliabue's CBA back in early 07. The players have a sweetheart deal that DeMaurice Smith will not want to depart from. I can see labor strife very soon. This also reminds me of just prior to the NFL lockout when it was found players were getting the lion's share of revenue. And we know how that went, even though it's two vastly different leagues.

It's one thing to be pessimistic on this team, which I freely admit. The team is run by a 91 year old owner and the direction just doesn't seem there. It's still no reason for single-minded posters to hurl insults at anyone that suggests something they disagree with. Still, the obnoxious posters have become too much and John Wawrow along with others know it. I realize there are varying levels of football knowledge on this board, but when a reporter comes onto this board it's a good thing. We collectively benefit as a message board because of them. The Bills should be criticized if they cannot win and advance to the playoffs this season. Collectively though, criticism needs to be done in a more considerate manner.

I think it's also worth noting re: NE is their penchant for finding players who can be play different positions. They've gone after Adalius Thomas and Jerod Mayo who both can play inside or outside. I have no doubt people like Warren and Wilfork could be DT's if they were asked to be. Flexibility is something BB values, because it adds another dimension to their game plan. And I have no doubt because he basically doubles as a GM, that the scouting staff and team makeup are coordinated very closely. I still hate them.

"The signing of Terrell Owens after his release from Dallas was a desperation move -- one that Wilson himself has acknowledged was made in an effort to improve ticket sales." RW may be nearing 91, but he's still with it in terms of making a dollar. He knew keeping DJ would rankle the fan base, and I don't think many astute fans believed RB, DJ, or Trent was behind the move. But, he's hitched his wagon to a coach that clearly will never figure it out. There should be no question now that Russ Brandon is a figurehead like his predecessor. No wonder people like Polian, Butler, and AJ Smith didn't want to work for this guy. He knows it all.

How many times can NE swindle OAK before the commissioner has to step in? The Patriots* have won the division 7 of the last 8 seasons. The best way to make the playoffs is winning the division so you're not competing for 2 WC spots among multiple teams. I don't think this move takes away from their pass rush, because 3-4 DE's aren't called on to be great sack/pressure guys. In a 3-4 it comes from the OLB's. And so a 4-3 change means less of a need for a 275# DE. BTW, this house has been in disarray for a long time. And from what we've seen this week, that's not changing anytime soon.

Actually, cutting Rhodes is a slight departure for the franchise. I recall two years ago when the Bills chose to keep Anthony "Slow-train" Thomas and play him more than Fred Jackson. At the time though, AT played more because he had better pass pro skills whereas people didn't think Fred Jackson did. Hence, AT played more frequently. I'm concerned about Omon in pass protection, but he did outplay DR.

Maroney hasn't been stellar, mainly because he seems injury prone. Meriweather will be a starter, but they haven't had much from beneath the 1st in recent years and I'll grant you that. They've gotten older that's for sure. NE has defined in the salary cap era how to remain competitive without going into total rebuild move. There aren't many teams that have a track record of success for nearly a decade aside from perhaps IND. I hate the Patriettes (and Red Sox), but I'll grudgingly admit they have one of the finest front offices in the NFL.

Beerball-You don't miss anything. I remember around draft time each year that teams college scouting staffs are already looking forward to the next year's draft. Even though the regular season hasn't begun, I'd say OT and LB are areas the Bills will need to address. I just hope thy don't find themselves with a need at QB.

Perhaps they've taken stock of the DLineman picks of late and figured they could get something for him without a steep drop off. Ron Brace was their 2nd round pick and they've got a few others. Reports have the Patriettes switching to more of a 4-3 type defense, and Seymour is a tweener in that he's too big too play DE and not big enough for DT. Furthermore, NE picked up Derrick Burgess who they can use at DE. Why does anyone doubt NE anymore? Which moves have they made in the past 9 years which were total busts?

Supposedly, RW and those in the meeting engaged in a give and take type meeting. I assume that to be RW giving and DJ and his coaches doing the taking. How ironic is it that RW's is concerned at this late juncture about the status of the team?

This reminds me of the supposed conversation Peter King overheard before the 07 season at the owner's meetings in which RW asked DJ and Levy if they'd be able to stop the run. I'm sure they didn't tell him they weren't better, even if they weren't confident. I think in some ways RW is similar to Al Davis in Oakland. Not so much in the strange personnel moves or conferences held to refute fired coaches' claims. He has surrounded himself with yes men who cannot tell him something they know he doesn't want to hear. I'm referring to DJ and RB, who make up possibly the worst GM and HC tandem in the NFL.

It's complete speculation, but I don't see the team giving a 2+ year contract out for GM considering the owner's age, and affinity for (of late) hiring those he can control. Even if Buffalo suffers a lost season (6-10 or worse) and DJ is fired, it doesn't mean they'll address the gaping absence of a GM trained in personnel. I can see Brandon acting as GM, even though he has no real power. There are three teams in the NFL in which the owner runs the show. Those clubs, CIN, OAK, and BUF, have combined for 1 playoff appearance since 2003. Contrast this with Arthur Blank and then MIA owner Wayne Huizenga who trust the people they hire to make their team a inner.

Yeah...Dellapelle Giovanni is getting upset!(!!!!!!!)

I don't think Ralph would spring for a Wii. More like a PS2 from ebay, although they can get Madden 2010 to determine who to keep.

Thank you John. This board has been inundated so many times with garbage rumors it's nice to have someone with good sources.